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I'm not a rampant nationalist or anything but i think scotland has a cultural history to be proud of yet i'm not overly familiar with too much of it. it's time to remedy this. i want only serious replys to this thread please. i'm interested in bothy ballads and scottish folk songs in general. not just individual songs though but performers i might like. anything downloadable or obtainable on cd is preferred.

if it's any indication of what i might like i'm really into alt-country stuff like songs:ohia, bonnie prince billy and the like as well as people like alisdair roberts.

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worth checking out people like Jimmy Shand. for modern stuff, Dougie McLean might be able to offer what your after (its not all as cheesy Scots as Caledonia). There is also a very rich backlog of traditional songs that ive just discovered by listening to drunk guys in pubs - probably the best way to experience folk songs.

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It's not quite in the category you're interested in, but check out the sadly departed Martyn Bennett for someone who combined modern music with traditional Scottish tunes, amazing musician.

Now that you mention it, Celtic Connections is on in Glasgow later this month, sure if you do some research on the bands playing there you'll find something groovy. That's certainly my plan before I head back down...

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I'm not a rampant nationalist or anything but i think scotland has a cultural history to be proud of yet i'm not overly familiar with too much of it. it's time to remedy this. i want only serious replys to this thread please. i'm interested in bothy ballads and scottish folk songs in general. not just individual songs though but performers i might like. anything downloadable or obtainable on cd is preferred.

if it's any indication of what i might like i'm really into alt-country stuff like songs:ohia' date=' bonnie prince billy and the like as well as people like alisdair roberts.

i eagarly await your recommendations [/quote']

You should check out the Ian Campbell folk group, Ian was born in Aberdeen and is the father of two members of ub40, he did about a dozen albums in the 60's on Decca and Transatlantic and had Dave Swarbrick on fiddle...!!

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If it's the real local trad stuff, then it has to be Jeannie Robertson, or her daughter Lizzie Higgins....their stuff came out on Topic. It MIGHT be in the library, but one which definitely IS, and is excellent is a CD of 1950s recordings by John Strachan, called, I think, 'Songs of Aberdeenshire'.

The earlier mention of the Ian Campbell group was good...their album 'The Singing Campbells: Traditions of an Aberdeen Family' is also in the library. Not from Aberdeen, but well worth hearing would be the recordings of the Stewart family of Blairgowrie. Some of the Folk revivalists of the early 60s did great versions of scottish songs, despite being non-Scots. I particularly like Shirley Collins, Anne Briggs, Sweeney's Men and the Young Tradition.

The new Kitchen Cynics one has one trad ballad (Bonny Betsy) with my own music. I got the words from the Greig/Duncan Folk Song collection...there are 6 volumes of this in the library, too, if you're interested in the words as much as the music. I've also written my own ballads about John Gordon (beheaded in the Castlegate with Mary Queen of Scots watching), and a nameless prostitute in 40s Aberdeen...the usual cheerful stuff!

You might quite like Jim Reid, who is Angus-based, but is playing Aberdeen Folk Club soon.

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to help you guys help me, bright eyes wasn't really what i'm looking for but i'm already a fan. and i'm not really looking for things like wolfstone who are more of a celtic rock band, though again nothing wrong with em.

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Guest bluesxman

Guest bluesxman

I have a couple of 2 on 1 CD's by the aforementioned Bert Jansch, found them quite enjoyable, especially Jack Orion. FOPP had them at a fiver a while back.

Kitchen Cynics stuff is good, I've gathered a few CD's now, i'm sure Alan will help out if you get in touch, very reasonably priced and nicely packaged with nice little explanations of what the song inspirations were.

If you want to go further afield there's a 6 CD set called 'The Anthology Of American Folk Music' which has bags of weird old American folk music on it, it's great! Expensive though.

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That anthology (the Harry Smith one?) is superb. There was another volume issued a couple of years back....a comp. he'd prepared for release, but which was never issued at the time.

For dark, strange trad, I'd also recommend Frankie Armstrong, or early June Tabor. There are great themed comp.s on Topic...the one on 'amorous encounters' called "Who's that at my bed window?" is well worth getting, especially as it includes Jeannie Robertson, Lizzie Higgins, Walter Pardon, Belle Stewart etc etc (including Paddy Tunney, who is one of Alasdair Roberts' heroes).

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If it's the real local trad stuff' date=' then it has to be Jeannie Robertson, or her daughter Lizzie Higgins....their stuff came out on Topic. It MIGHT be in the library, but one which definitely IS, and is excellent is a CD of 1950s recordings by John Strachan, called, I think, 'Songs of Aberdeenshire'.

The earlier mention of the Ian Campbell group was good...their album 'The Singing Campbells: Traditions of an Aberdeen Family' is also in the library. Not from Aberdeen, but well worth hearing would be the recordings of the Stewart family of Blairgowrie. Some of the Folk revivalists of the early 60s did great versions of scottish songs, despite being non-Scots. I particularly like Shirley Collins, Anne Briggs, Sweeney's Men and the Young Tradition.

The new Kitchen Cynics one has one trad ballad (Bonny Betsy) with my own music. I got the words from the Greig/Duncan Folk Song collection...there are 6 volumes of this in the library, too, if you're interested in the words as much as the music. I've also written my own ballads about John Gordon (beheaded in the Castlegate with Mary Queen of Scots watching), and a nameless prostitute in 40s Aberdeen...the usual cheerful stuff!

You might quite like Jim Reid, who is Angus-based, but is playing Aberdeen Folk Club soon.

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Alan' date=' whats that song about the girl from Torry that died that you do? you played it at the hazlewood charity gig @ the tunnels. it was lovely :love:[/quote']

It's called 'The Torry Ferry'...it's on 'Hoodie Craw' (some copies at the Cavern just now).

Dave.....Graeme mentioned Dick Gaughan, and I think you might like his albums, too....I know Alasdair is also a fan. He does brilliant versions of 'The snow it melts the soonest' and 'Now Westlin' Winds' (which I do a naff version of).

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I think of all the suggestions made here, Dick Gaughan is the one to go for first. Try and get something with his version of Phil Ochs "When I'm Gone(?)" and see if it doesn't make you want to live life before it's too late!

It should be every Scotsmans duty to see Dick Gaughan at least once in his life.